How to Find and Shop Products from Japan

Anime goods, cute Japanese fashion, wonky gadgets, and
traditional Japanese goods; you have chances of finding one of the most unique
and interesting products when shopping Japanese products online.

In this article, you will learn about several ways of buying
products from Japan and what you should expect from each of them, while getting
some shopping tips.

3 Ways to Find Japanese Products

There are several e-retailers specializing in selling
products from Japan. Since they are the specialists in each field, they can
assure you get all the questions and concerns answered before purchasing.

Another way of finding Japanese products is visiting online
shopping malls and marketplaces offering Japanese products. While they offer
more product variety, they may not be as knowledgeable as specialty stores.
Some shopping malls offer English customer support on behalf of sellers in Japan, but
majority of malls and marketplaces ask you to contact sellers directly.

If you cannot find the product you have been searching for a
while, you should try contacting shipping forwarding company. They can purchase
products from ecommerce websites in Japan that do not ship overseas, and then
they will ship it to you. However, in most cases, you must find the product you
want to purchase on Japanese websites using website translation tools.

Pricing

Among all services, shipping forwarding company will be the
most expensive. They usually add handling and other related fees on top of
international shipping fees and handling fees of sellers. However, it sometimes
worth paying a little extra if you are desperately wishing to purchase
particular products from Japan.

Shipping Rates

EMS Shipping RateAll zones include countries and areas in Asia, Oceania, North America, Central America and the Middle East, Europe, South America and Africa.

SAL Shipping RateChoose Economy(SAL) for Shipping Type and Small Packets for Service Type.

International Shipping Rate

The most popular shipping method you will see while shopping products from Japan is EMS (Express Mail Service) offered by Japan Post
Office. With EMS, your package takes 2 to 4 days to arrive in your country. EMS
is relatively cheaper than other express services like FedEx or DHL. EMS comes
with a package tracking number and free insurance, which covers up to 20,000
yen worth of goods.

If you are looking for a cheaper alternative, there is SAL (Small Packets).
It is also a product offered by Japan Post Office and it allows you to ship
product up to 2kg for much less price than EMS. Downside is that it takes longer
than EMS and it comes with neither a tracking number nor insurance. (You may purchase
them for additional fees.)

Restrictions

Once you are ready to buy products from Japan, you
should inquire the customs in your country for any restrictions on importing the
product, especially when purchasing items like samurai swords, blades, or any
type of weaponry (both real and imitation).

You must be careful even when a seller says they can ship it
to you. There are some cases that regulations in your country do not allow
importing certain goods, even though Japanese regulations do not prohibit
exporting them. In this case your package will most likely be shipped back to a
seller or discarded at the customs.

Customs Regulations

So, there you have your how-to-guide to shop products from Japan. Although, you can find many products with Japanese theme on online shopping websites in your country, some products are only available through sellers in Japan. So, try shopping products from Japan. You may be able encounter a great find.

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